Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-04

LIST is 13h., his declination is 81 49,
south, his diameter 3".5, and he is in the
constellation Virgo.
Uranus rises on the LIST % minutes
alter 2 o'clock in the morning; on tho
DIST he rises hall an hour after midnight
NEPTUNE is evening star.
The night ascensionof Neptune on the
lat IS Oh. 46m., his declination is lS0 q
north, his diameter ia 2".6, and he is IN
the constellation Taurus.
Neptune sets on the LIST about o'clock
IN the morning; on the 3lst he sets about
A o'clock.
The morning stars at the close OF the
month aro Mercury, Venus, Jupiter,
Mars, Uranus, and Saturn f; the evening
star is Neptune.
THE MOON.
The December moon fulls on tho 30th
at 3h. 14m. A. M. The moon is in con-
junction with Saturn on the 9th at Oh.
2lm. a. NJ, being 81 south. She is in
conjunction with Mars on the Sth at 11b.
Dom. p. NJ, being % TO- north. She is
at her nearest point TO Uranus on the
9TH at llh. I'm. p. NJ, being A. ~
north. She is in conjunction with
Venus on tao l1th at 3h. 3n. A. NJ,
being % 81 north. The fairest OF
the stars and the waning moon three
days before her change will make
lovely picture on the morning sky. Our
nearest celestial neighbor will pay her
respects to Jupiter on tue 10Th, at III.
lem. Z. NJ, being A. 16' north. She is
at her nearest point to Mercury on the
18th at Oh. 45m. a. NJ, being 80 "a
north. No planet is again near the
moon'spath until the 26th, when she is
IN conjunction with Neptune at Oh. 12m.
Z. NJ, being 30 49, south.
TIE SUN.
The suns declination on the LIST is 21o
81 south. On tho Goth it reaches the
minimum OF southern declination, 23o OF.
On the oath there is a slight decrease of
the suns southern declination, and on
the 3lGt the decIination is 23o G.. The
sun is moving northward the day is
growing longer.
TIE WINTER soLSTICE.
The sun grazcs the tropic OF Capricorn
IN the 2lst, ard the astronomical winter
commences. The event is known as the
winter solstice. 1t isthe season when ice
and snow reign over the northern tempe
rate zone, and the sun looks with slanting
beams upon belt OF earth where cold
and desolation hold sway. He seems to
stand still in his couTse as he views the
frigid picture, and then the Great Giver
OF physical life and light turns his
face towards us and offers the first pre-
cious minute of additional daylight as
n guarantee of joys that follow in the
train of his progress northward. The
Pagan nations of antiquity, who looked
upon the sun as the visible manifestation
of the Deity, observed the winter solstice
as the season of sacred festivities. The
PcrsiaGs kindled their sacred fires. The
Ronihns celebrated their Saturnalia.
The Scandinavians built huge fires in
which yule logs blazed in honor Of Odin
and Thor The Druids gathered the sa-
cred mistletOe and made human sacri-
fees TO the savage divinities whom
they worshipped. Feasting and rejoicing
filed the passing hours the dwellings
were decked with branches of evergreen
and wreaths Of laurel; presents were ex-
changed and universal merriment was
the orderof the day. The sun, the en-
bodiment of power and strength, was
coming back. 1t was the return Of life
and happiness to their rude natures, and
their most sacred religious rites and
dearest social pleasures clustered closely
around the winter sOlstice.
The early teachers of Christianity
could not induce their converts to give
up these heather festivities and endea-
vored to change them to Christian festi-
walls. Engrafted upon the Pagan rites
and amalgamated with them we have the
strange medley of Christian and Pagan
customs that make Christmas and New
Year all over the civilized world the sea-
son of joyful thanksgiving to the great
Creator Of the sun and the blessedness
of his returning beams.
DECEMBER
crowns the longest nights of all the year
with superb picture OF the glory of the
heavens. The sky is the embodiment
of purity, the stars sparkle and shine
with their most resplendent lustre,
pouring downupon the frost bound earth
their sweet influence. Orion treads the
concave with starry feet, Sirius, bright
est of the stars, follows in his train,
the Pleiades and Aldebaran mount
higher in the sky, and brilliant Capella
glows in the northwest. Venus, fairest
of the starry hosts, turns her steps
toward the sun and advances to
Jupiter on the way. Mercury is
easily visible when the morning light is
breaking. and Saturn, visible nearly
the whole night, makes his way
through the nebulous mass. Pr@sepe,
Natures fairest page, studded with stars
and planets, lies open to the observer on
every cloudless night, and when the full
moon on the last of the month makes
her rapid way over the armament from
sunset to sunrise her round face is glo-
rious to behold, as high in the heavens
she casts blue shadows over the snow and
floods the earth with her soft, silyery
light.